Automatic piano.



No. 726,981. PATENTED MAY 5, 1903;

W. PAIN.

AUTOMATIC PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

.no MODEL.

HIS ATTORNEYS No. 726,981, PATENTBD MAY 5; 1903..

' R... w. PAIN.

AUTOMATIC PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. $5, 1902. .10 MODEL. 8 SHEETBBHEET-2 HIS ATTORNEYS \\\\\w\\ x V w i 4 E [a g IIIIIIIII llalrll. v I

& E S S E N H W UNITED STATES Patented May 5, 1903,

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT WVILLIARD PAIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC PIANO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 726,981, dated May 5, 1903.

Application filed February 15, 1902. Serial No. 94,207. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT WILLIARD PAIN, of the borough of. Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Pianos, of which the following is a specifica= tion.

My invention relates to automatic pianos; and the objects of my invention are to improve the construction of such pianos and enable them to be more readily played and controlled with the least number of parts and most eflicient construction and arrangement, with simplicity of action and durability of parts.

Further objects of my invention will hereinafter appear; and to these ends my invention consists in an automatic piano for carrying out the above objects, constructed and arranged and having the general mode of operation substantially as hereinafter fully de-' scribed and shown in this specification and accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of an automatic piano embodying my improvement, the greater part of the front of the case being broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical .transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken above the keyboard, the greater part of the keys being omitted. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the valve-boxes and connectingrods located below the secondary pneumatics.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

The pianoforte action and case are of the upright type and may be of conventional construction. In front of the action and behind the front of the casing a box A is placed horizontally, and it contains the primary pneumatios. On this box are uprights B, which serve as supports for an approximately horizontal tracker-board O,a music-roll R, and a take-up roll R To enable the supports B to properly sustain these rolls, bearings are provided, in which the journals of the rolls may freely turn. A perforated music-sheet S is combined with the rolls and, as usual, is permanently fastened to the music-roll and detachably engaged with the take-up roll. As the music-sheet is normally kept wound up on the music-roll and each music-roll is only temporarily used, provision is afforded for readily detaching the music-roll from its bearings.

At the side of one of the supports B is arranged a pneumatic motor D for rotating the music-roll and take-up roll properly for the playing of a tune and the subsequent rewinding of the sheet. This motor is secured upon the top of the box A, and it cooperates with the music and take-u p rolls through suitable intermediate driving mechanism, which may be of ordinary form. Tubes E extend from the inner end of the ducts in the trackerboard 0 to primary pneumatics P in the box A. Other tubes F extend from the primary pneumatics P, past the keyboard, to secondary pneumatics P located below the keyboard and in front of the strings. Four le- 7o vers, G, H, I, and J, are pivoted at about the top of the keyboard, but, as here shown, below the keys, their front handle ends being in front of the outer ends of the keys. The lever G serves to operate the forte-pedal, and it is fulcrumed at its inner end to a fulcrum g, extending from a suitable support, and intermediate of its ends it is connectedby a rod 9- withacrank 9 extending froma horizontal rock-shaft g which is supported in suitable 8o bearings g. The lever H is operated 'to regulate the admission of air to the secondary pneumatics for soft and loud playing. It is fulerumed at its inner end to a fulcrum h, extending from a suitable support, and intermediate of its ends it is connected by a rod h with a crank b extending from a vertical rock-shaft h which is supported in suitable bearings h When this rock-shaft is oscillated, it serves, with suitable connections, to 0 control in the box M a valve which varies the extent of communication between the exhaust-chamber and the secondary pneumatics P thereby varying the quickness with which said pneumatics operate and the force 5 of the stroke. The lever I is operated to regulate the time or tempo. It is fulcruined at its inner end to a fulcrum z', extending from a suitable support, and intermediate of its ends it is connected by a rod 4." with a crank 2' extending from a vertical rock-shaft '6 which is supported in suitable bearings 2' Any appropriate connections between the operated rods when either of them is oper rock-shaft 2' and the valve in the box M will suffice for operating the latter to control communication between the wind-chamber and the pneumatic motorD, which is employed for propelling the perforated music-sheet. The lever J serves to establish between the motor and the perforated music-sheet connections which will cause the propulsion of the musicsheet in a direction proper for playing or for rerolling. It is fulcrumed between its ends to a fulcrum j, extending from a suitable support, and at its inner end it is connected by a rod j with a crank 3' extending from a vertical rock-shaft j which is supported in the Y bearings 7''. The rock-shaftj when oscillated in one direction by means of appropriate connections opens wide the regulating-valve in V the box M, so as to give the pneumatic motor D its greatest speed and also shift a valve in the box M, so that it will cut off communica tion of the wind-chamber with the pneumatics for operating the sound-producing devices during rerolling of the musiosheet. This is accomplished by shutting off communication between the wind-chamber and the secondary pneumatics P When the rock-shaftj is oscillated in the reverse direction, as is necessary for playing the instrument, it establishes communication between the pneumatic motor and the wind-chamber under control of the regulating-valve. The secondary pneumatics P operate rods 19 in the rear of the keys, and the latter operate extension-rodsp which are below the wippens p of the pianoforte-action. The lower ends of the extension-rods p extend to the rear ends of the keys, so that they may be operated by the keys. They are provided with rearwardlyextending projections 19 so that they may be operated by the rods 19 at the rear of the keys. It will thus be seen that according to my invention the free ends of the rods connected to be operated by the pneumatics extend adjacent the rear ends of the keys, while the free ends of the extension-rods for actuating the wippens extend to both the rear ends of the keys and the free ends of the rods operated from the pneumatics, whereby the keys and pneumaticallyoperated rods may be caused to impinge directly on the ends of the actuating-rods of the wippens to operate the same. The rods operated by the pneumatics,

as shown, extend upwardly with their upper ends adjacent the rear ends of the keys, and the rods connected to actuate the wippens extend downwardly with their free ends arranged over both the rear ends of the corresponding keys and the upper ends of the pneumatically-operated rods. The wippen-actuating rods normally rest on the pneu maticallyoperated rods, and it will be seen that accord ing to my invention I entirely do away with any intervening mechanism which has heretofore been interposed between the ends of the rods and the keys, so that according to my construction the keys and pneumaticallyated impinge directly on the wippen-rods to actuate the same. According to this construction simplicity of parts and efliciency and certainty of operation are obtained with the least liability of breakage and derangement of the mechanism. In other Words, the extension-rods connected to actuate the wippens and adapted to be operated by either the said keys or the pneumatically-actuated rods extend upwardly from direct connection with the keys and rods to operative connection with the piano-action.

Obviously some features of my invention may be used without others, and my invention may be embodied in widely varying forms.

Therefore, without limiting myself to the construction shown and described, I claim, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, the following:

1. The combination with an'upright piano, of a box containing primary pneumatics, arranged above the keys, and in the front portion of the instrument, supports above this box, a tracker-board and music-sheet rolling and rerolling mechanism contiguous to these supports, secondary pneumatics which operate the piano-action and are located below the keys, tubes extending from the tracker-board to the primary pneumatics and tubes extending from the primary pneumatics through the key-supports to the secondary pneumatics, substantially as described.

2. In a piano, the combination of wippens and rods connected to actuate the same, keys, pneumatics and rods connected to be operated thereby, the free ends of said rods operated from the pneumatics extending adjacent the rear ends of the keys, the free ends of the actuating-rods of the wippens extending to both the rear ends of the keys and the free ends of the rods operated from the pneumatics,whereby said keys and pneumatically-operated rods may be operated to impinge directly on the free ends of the actuating-rods of the wippens, to operate the same, substantially as set forth.

3. In an upright piano, the combination of keys, pneumatics, rods connected to be operated by said pneumatics, said rods extending upwardly with their upper ends adjacent the rear ends of the keys, wippens and rods connected to actuate the same, said rods extending downwardly with their free ends arranged over both the rear ends of the corresponding keys and the upper ends of the pneumatically-operated rods, and normally resting on said rods without intervening mechanism interposed between the said ends, whereby the keys and pneumaticallyoperated rods when operated impinge directly on the wippen-rods to actuate the same, sub stantially as set forth.

at. In an upright piano, the combination of the piano action and keys, pneumatics, rods connected to be operated by said pneumatics and extending rearwardly of the keys, Wip pens, and extension-rods provided with lat eral projections for actuating the wippens, said extension-rods normally resting on the upper ends of the said pneumatically-operated rods, substantially as set forth.

5. In an upright piano, the combination with the piano action and keys, of pneumatics arranged below the keys, rods connected to be actuated thereby, the free ends of said rods extending upwardly adjacent the rear ends of the keys, and extension-rods adapted to be operated by both the said keys and pneumatically-actuated rods, and extending upwardly from direct connection therewith to operative connection with the piano-action, substantially as set forth.

6. In an upright piano, the combination with the casing, piano-action, keys and keysupport, of a box containing primary pneumatic and supported in front of the action and behind the front of the casing, uprights connected to said box, and a tracker-board supported upon said uprights, and musicsheet rolling and unrolling mechanism supported in bearings upon said uprights, secondary pneumatics arranged below said box and connected to operate the piano-action, tubes extending from the tracker-board to the primary pneumatics, and tubes extending from the primary pneumatic to the secondary pneumatics, substantially as set forth.

7. In an upright piano, the combination with the casing, piano-action, keys and keysupport, of a box containing primary pneumatics and supported in front of the action and behind the front of the casing, uprights connected to said box, and a tracker-board supported upon said uprights, and musicsheet rolling and unrolling mechanism supported in bearings upon said uprights, secondary pneumatics arranged below the said box and key-support and connected to operate the piano-action, tubes extending from the tracker-board to the primary pneumatics, and tubes extending from the primary pneumatics downwardly through the keysupport to the secondary pneumatics, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT WILLIARD PAIN.

Witnesses:

GEO. E. CRUSE, J os. P. MGELDUFF. 

